BEIRUT, Sep. 3, 2008 (MENASSAT) – The Egyptian construction guru Hisham Talaat Mustafa was charged on Tuesday with allegedly paying an retired Egyptian policeman two million dollars for murdering the Lebanese pop singer Suzanne Tamim in the United Arab Emirates, according to a statement issued by Egypt’s Prosecutor General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud.

Tamim, 30, who rose to fame after winning a Lebanese talent show in 1996 but whose career was marred by stories about a troubled private life, was found brutally stabbed and partly decapitated at her posh flat at the Rimal Towers in Dubai on July 28.  

She reportedly fled her native Lebanon for Cairo some years ago following legal battles with her estranged second husband, music producer Adel Maatouk.

Reports from the Egyptian media said that Tamim had a relationship with Mustafa over a three-year period. When the relationship allegedly went sour a few months ago, the singer left Egypt for London before settling in Dubai. 

Mustafa is said to have paid off the ex-policeman, Mohsen Al-Sukkari, to travel to Dubai and eliminate Tamim. Once in the UAE, El-Sokkari bought a knife and went to Tamim’s flat, claiming that he worked for the owner of the building. When the singer opened the door, El-Sokkari stabbed her to death, the prosecutor said. The prosecutor added that the murder motive was "revenge."

Al-Sukkari has himself been arrested and charged with murdering Tamim. Al-Sukkari confessed to Mustafa's involvement upon his arrest, said the prosecutor.

Both Mustafa and Sukkari could face the death penalty if convicted.

Mustafa, a prominent member of Egypt’s ruling National Democratic Party and a  member of Egypt’s parliamentary Shura Council, is the Chairman of Talaat Mustafa Group, a real estate conglomerate worth several billion dollars. 

He is also said to have close ties with President Hosni Mubarak's son and heir apparent Gamal Mubarak.

Following the transfer of Mustafa to the Cairo Criminal Court, the Talaat Mustafa Group announced the appointment of Tarek Talaat Mustafa, Hisham's brother, chairman of the board and CEO of the company. 

Mustafa's arrest has taken a heavy toll on the stock of his Talaat Mustafa Group, making it plunge nearly 16 percent to an all-time low of LE 5.21.

The high profile murder of Tamim sparked a media frenzy last month and has become a top item in Arab news.  

When rumors started circulating in the Egyptian press about the possible involvement of Talaat Mustafa, Egyptian prosecutors issued a gag order on media reports about the case. 

On August 10, the Egyptian authorities pulled two newspapers, Al-Dostour and Al-Badil, off the shelves for violating the publishing ban. 

The Cairo-based rights groups, the Hisham Mubarak Law Center and the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), challenged the publishing ban, claiming it violated articles 47 and 148 of the Egyptian constitution as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Mustafa on the other hand, called for a draft law that would criminalize "rumor mongering on the Egyptian stock market" in order to protect national economic interests.


(Sources: AFP, Daily News Egypt, BBC News)